The Queen may not remain head of state in an independent Scotland after one of
the SNP’s most senior MSPs confirmed it is party policy to hold a referendum
on the monarchy.

Christine Grahame, the convener of Holyrood’s justice committee, said the party has pledged to hold a public vote on a separate Scotland having a “full-blown monarchy, an edited version or go for a republic”.

Outlining her support for the latter, she attacked the public reaction to the Princess of Wales’ death and the manner in which “complete strangers lemming-like threw themselves into publicity-driven grief”.

She said an indifferent public are now “spoon-fed the William and Kate show, the latter ironically committed like her deceased predecessor to remaining stick thin for photogenic reasons.”

Although Miss Grahame insisted she bears no personal ill feeling towards the Royal Family, she said that “as a Scot” she was upset that John Lewis is stocking Union flags to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee.

Her comments seriously undermine Alex Salmond’s claim that the Queen and her successors would automatically remain head of state following separation from England.

The First Minister has pledged to retain great British institutions like the monarchy and the pound in an attempt to persuade sceptical Scots to support separation in the forthcoming referendum.

But despite him repeatedly lavishing praise on the Queen, the SNP cannot produce any evidence that members have voted to replace their long-standing policy that a referendum would be held on the monarchy after independence.

The Tories said this raised the prospect of the SNP replacing the Queen as soon as separation has been achieved or Mr Salmond steps down as party leader.

Writing for a left-wing journal, Miss Grahame said her republican views are shared by some of her SNP colleagues but are not official party policy.

“The last time I looked at that, after independence there would be a referendum at some point on whether we in Scotland have the full blown monarchy, an edited version or go for a republic. I have no problems with that, being a wholehearted democrat,” she wrote.

“After the Diana nonsense, when complete strangers lemming-like threw themselves into publicity-driven grief, through Charles and Camilla’s redemption, we are now spoon-fed the William and Kate Show.”

The Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale MSP said the number of street parties celebrating the Diamond Jubilee this year “can be counted on one hand” and John Lewis selling Union flags “gets my goat”.

In the same journal, Angus MacNeil, the SNP’s Western Isles MP, made the case for the Queen remaining head of state by arguing that a debate over the monarchy would be a “silly distraction from the independence debate”.

However, he did not provide details of when members were supposed to have voted to change party policy.

The Nationalists published a draft written constitution for an independent Scotland in 2002 promising a referendum on the monarchy.

The first evidence of a change was Mr Salmond's National Conversation consultation on the constitution in 2007, but this was not approved by SNP members.

David McLetchie, Scottish Tory constitution spokesman, said last night: “The fact of the matter is Christine Grahame has let the cat out of the bag, despite Alex Salmond’s protestations, that party policy remains that there will be a referendum.

“She and many others in the SNP are mystified as to how one man now thinks he managed to change that.”